Tractor.



(3. i EASWIAN.

TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED Patented May 25, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

0.1. EASTFVWJ= TRAGTOR,

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, i913.

htenta May 25, 1915,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. J. EASTMAN.

TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 1913. l lw fi Patent-ed May 25, 1915 I 3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

To ail wh m it may concern it known that 1, CLYDE J. Ess'mmir, a citizen of the United Smtes, and a reskieni: of Los Angeies, in she county of Los Angeles and; State of California,

have invented cerisam new and useful. improvements in Tractors, of which the following is s fulfil,

@1921, and exams syeoification.

My invsntion is concerned with tractors designed for use over WW6, sandy or irmgw 1m ground, in which a pair of brosfi smiless tracks are laid (iOWD. by the tractor ss it advances, and upon. which bromi tracks ths Weigiit oi? the tractor is supporsed.

My impi'ovemsnts are designed to mass such a, tractor more flexible than any 0i those with which am asqiisimbeci also to ciistriimis the Weight of the ir'nosov upon the shoe sections oi the :Zmsk h s better vsrsicsi 'seozion on tho iiile 3- and. Fi 1s sun i1" viow the has of 1.

in carrying out' invention, 1 empioj an engine frame 16., which may 3% of any desired oo nsizz'ucition. sud. which has 21 psi? 02% horizonmi siaio piscss; one of which is 7g. 1. Extending iownwsroi these sifie pieces, and suitsbiy semis? it in iiesirai mszmmyms bearing em: 11, on wins is pivoisd this onci L leaves 19', of 0, 0111s my sash side 01 two bmoixs.

of i-ho halt-shaft $11 which shore v Hi :33

mscmns smi :"fos ass? This uifii il supporsizig isvsi" 12 has,

1e IP38 enci sheisoi, s; bsarii'ig sol d 0? sleeve i fvilifiii 37%i33iV6S im-1st em! bearing in which is journsimi one-nail of she jam-shaft 15. is

i supported in an aperture formoti on tiis innew piafio 16 of this truck "famine, said time? frame having a correspondingly shaped ouizsi' pisfis 1? on the other sis thereof. The juoi: shaft has its OUZQYQHQ jouriisieil a ham ing 18 interposmi betwssn the srnsiofiamo plate 17 ami the 2111's of a sprocket pinion 19 sored dri A insuring M- is siso i rwo bss, inegisi are commas-53m o 2& which is oi SUfiiQi'c :1 sprocket pinion 19. L. I connecis the sp sizes pinioiia Wlmi'; QIiV ing sprocket-whsei 22, W iicii i a, driving wheel 24, WiliCil Er tiisrsof adapt F1- 26 o of the track.

siesve 28, rooi 29 Fri and 1'6 6 between ssi I secuvsfi. on

232s and the pieces 1 s pair of idis wiissis u. of siiiiicisiii; aim to coiiipma oli tsrmost pair oi silo miis oer surface ofi smack. Y

The shoes 2'? to the i" will be 50 oonsisfioi ids i i 1 s 33, which have 'shii' outer .Z'saos or o shsi'wiss snitsbiy s ground which 3x tiisss shoes is joroviaieci with i wiii imvs redo lZhQ-Bil outsiends Kormii b 26. From Figs. 1 and 3, w ihst the 011m mils sf she idle whseis'fil and: 32, WC. sews so the shoes new o edges and to rsmovs some o Tom airivii 2X Suitably sown-ed tho i A F16 and 1? the truck f as iE'Si'Q; piomiis oi shsfiics rods 35, x" L l, a Er t m Fig. 4%, piaferabij i1 til-3i? csiilimi 1G1 I or iii

aims and 7 1i ""sio s sf; sir "s- ("mod po'rtisss in the sicis ris *s if; s

f rs-ms 22,2162 sis fins shsfls 35 in post ion i jouzzisisci shaman izcuck w whisk mo so?" i huh 0i. sleeve 21# im 4:9 as seen, cooperate with tbs siizsriisis miis 3%, snci corresponding WiioeisZ moi 43 om tho sljacoiis 35 cooper-sass its two rails with which the wheels 39 and 40 do not engage. This staggered arrangement of the truck wheels enables me to bring the sup my construction, the .shafts 35 have their centers closer together than are the centers of the rivet pins 26, instead of being farther apart than are said pins, as in the ordinary construction.

The jack-shaft supporting levers 12 have their outer free ends 44 provided with apertures through which vertical bolts 45 can extend upward through apertures formed in the bottoms of cups 46 extending from the sides of the engine frame 10. Between the bottom of the cup 46 and'the end 44'of the jack-shaft supporting lever 12, and surrounding the bolt 45, is secured a helicallycoiled expanding spring 47 and above the bottom of the cup and surrounding the bolt 45, and extending up to a cap 48, is a helically-coiled expanding spring 49. It will be apparent that the two springs 47 and 49 serve to permit the relative movement of the truck-frame and the engine-frame, and to cushion any blows which tend to result from said relative movement. It will be understood, of course, that there is one of these truck frames on each side of the'tractor, and that the two jack-shaft sections 1" are con nected at the center by suitable ifferential driving gear, to which power is transmitted by chain and sprocket from the engine. The casing 50 for the differential is shown in Fig. 2, and I preferably inclosethe inner portions of the jack-shaft sections 15 in sleeves 51 extending from the differential casing to the bearing 13 of the jack-shaft supporting lever 12. To suitably support the sleeves 51 on the jack-shaft sections 15, I pin in the outer ends of said sleeves the collars 52, which are of the proper diameter in might be omitted and the rim of the wheel cooperate with the innermost pair of rails. I also preferably provide on this same shaft 53 a pair of idle wheels 55 corresponding to the idle wheels 31 and 32, and having the same function. I may also interpose the roller bearings shown in Fig. 4 between the reduced end portions 36 and 37 of the shaft 35 and the hollow interiors of the truck wheels 39 and 40.

While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the form which I at present consider bestadapted to carry out its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of modifications, and that I do'not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claim except as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

In a device of the class described, the combination with a truck frame, of track driving and supporting wheels journaled therein, means for rotating the track driving wheels, a flexible track made up of a plurality of pivotally connected shoes having a plurality of rails, parallel truck-wheel shafts, having enlarged 'central portions, reduced portions adjacent said central portions and having still further reduced ends,

said reduced ends supported in said frame, pairs of truck wheels on said shafts cooperating with alternate rails, and a hub mounted on said central enlarged portion connecting said truck wheels.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal, this 2nd day of May, A. D. 1912.

CLYDE J. EA$TMAN. 1,. 5.1 

